Product chiller



April 18, 1961 M. w. GARLAND 2,979,914

PRODUCT CHILLER FIG l wvl-:wrok

M. w. GARLAND ATTORNEY April 18, 1961 M. w. GARLAND 2,979,914

PRODUCT CHILLER Filed Dec. 51, 1959 2 sheets-sheet z l Il' Milli e l E lBY MY United States PRODUCT crnLLER Milton W. Garland, Waynesboro, Pa.,assignor to Frick Company, Waynesboro, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Filed Dec. 31, 1959, Sel'. No. 863,359

Claims. (Cl. 62?-64) This invention relates to the care and preservationof products of various kinds including foods for human consumption sothat it is desirable and necessary to protect the same from eXtremetemperatures or to refrigerate enough for human consumption.

In the processing of poultry it is the practice, after the birds arekilled, to remove the feathers followingthe application of heat invarious ways, such as by steam, water` or wax, and then the birds aredressed by removal of excess portions. The resulting defeathered anddressed birds, ,which then may have a temperature of approximately, 90F. are washed and chilled to approximately 36" for subsequentprocessing, packing and storage. Y

Heretotore, poultry has been chilled in batchesv by placing the same inlarge tanks of water containingv ice fragments. This requires a largeamount of labor, both for .the processing of the poultry and also forupkeep of the tanks, resulting in heavy wear on the floors, requiring atremendous supply of and handling of ice and water` for washing, and isaccompanied by excessive handling of the poultry. In addition to theforegoing, it has been necessaryV to use a substantial amount of spacefor the tanks, ice storage, and the like. As a result, the

processinghas been inefficient, time-consuming and costly. vIt; is anobject of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages anddifculties mentioned by an improved method and equipment adapted toaccomplish the desired rapid reduction in temperature aswell as wash`ing ofthe poultry, in a simpler, more eiectiveV andadvantageousmanner-and resulting in aY superior product.

.Another object vis to provide apparatus and a method forY the reductionof temperature of fowl andthe like from a relatively high temperature ofapproximately 90 to Y95 toY a relatively low temperature of around 36,by-a continuous process, in a minimum of time, and at lease expense. VAfurther object-is to provide an apparatus and meth- ,Qd for the-continuous washing and chilling of poultry,- from an enteringtemperature of approximately 90 to 95 to a discharge vtemperature ofapproximately 36, which may be carried=out in aVV relatively small spacewith a minimum of labor-.and in which the fowl leaving the apparatusvreceives a final wash with incoming chilled potajblewatenand'inwhichiitis not necessary to use ice with its accompanying disadvantages.

Afurtherobject isto vprovide an apparatus and methncl by Ameansoff'which Ycold potable water may be economically used,V withoutrecirculation through the product, for the rapid, efficient, andcontinuous chilling and washing of various products.

*Other-'objects andadvantages of the inventionrwill be atente-O2,979,914 Patented Apr. 18, 1961 t 2. apparent from the followingdescription taken inconjunction with theaccompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1V is a perspective Yillustrating one application of the`invention;

Fig. 2, a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. `3, a transverse section on theline'S-S of Fig. 2.

Briefly stated, the invention is practiced by means of a relatively longflume or tank having an inclined bottom at one end forming a `dischargeramp and into which cooling uid such as cold potable Water is introducedfor flow through the flume and discharge at the opposite end. Mountedjust above the flume is an endless conveyor carrying closely spacedrakes or sets of fingers which 'move slowly lengthwise thereof. Eachrake consists of a transverse member having a projecting portionconsisting of fingers or tines extending into the flume throughoutsubstantially the entire cross section thereof in order to providearm-support by means of lwhich the product may be maintained in spacedrelation as it is swept along the flume. The closely spaced rakessubdivide the vflume into a plurality of compartments which are filledwith the fowl or other product. The accompanying damming effect resultsin slow movement of the water through the flume and affords opportunityfor heat exchange. ln order to further increase the heatexchange, airheaders are provided which introduce air into the vflume at spacedintervals and thereby promote local circulation of the water.

With continued reference to the drawing, a relatively long narrowcooling tank or Hume 1t) adapted to con- Vtain a refrigerated liquid Vismounted on longitudinal T bars'll resting on cross bars 12 supported onleg forming channel members 13 having feet 14 and leveling devices 15.

The tank 10-is provided with reinforcing flanges 16 on .opposite sidesengaged byv L-shaped brackets 17 welded or otherwise secured to the legs13. Along each side of the tank an additional reinforcing member V13Vhas one edge attached to the legs `13 and forms a shelf or horizontaltrack for a roller .conveyor chain 19 connected by nbrackets 20 to across-member 21` with aseries of such members being carried in spacedrelation on the conveyor chain 19. YEach memberil is provided with aseries of paralleltines orY rake teeth 22 and'is moved by the conveyor,chain to sweep solid matter such as poultry or othermaterial to bechilled through the tank and up an incline or ramp 23 where such matteris discharged from the tank and transported to a storage or shippingarea in any desired manner.

The tines extend across the entire width of the tank l0 and into thesame to a position close tothe bottom, with the result that they providea strong, sturdy sweeping member or rake extending through the crosssection of the tank and capable of supporting and moving a heavy loadtherethrough and up the discharge end, but being sufficiently open topermit the passage of water. Because of their number and closespacingthe tines; may be of relatively small diameter and still provideaneective compartment wall for holding the poultry therebetween,

without the danger of the product being damaged by being caughtbetweenthe tines or'between the tines and the tank wall. Instead of using tinesto provide the sweeping member, other forms may be employed for carryingout the same purpose.

The conveyor 19 has its lower run resting on the track 18 and itsupperrun resting on an upper track 24 welded or otherwise attached tothe upper extremity ofthe legs 13. Such conveyor is mountedon sprockets25 and 216 carried by shafts'27 and 28 at the inlet anddischargeendsrespectively of .the tank. In order 4to adjust the `tension on the,conveyor chainl9 -theshaft 2,7- is; mounted in@ -sliding block 29 oneach side of the tank 10 and such blocks are movable longitudinally ofthe tank by screws 29' carried by a frame 30. The shaft28 is mounted atnopposite ends in pillow blocks attached to an angle bar 31 at thedischarge end of the tank. An idler sprocket 32 mounted on a shaft 33 isprovided at the base of the ramp so that the tines 22 will move alongthe bottom of the :tank and up the ramp to remove the fowl from therefrigerated liquid.

The conveyor chain 19 is driven by a sprocket 34 mounted on one end ofthe shaft 28 and such sprocket is driven by a chain 35 from a sprocket36 mounted on a drive shaft 37 of a gear reducing box 38 and such gearreducing boxV is driven by a belt 39 from aV motor 40. 'The motor andgear reducing box are mounted on a platis located at the bottom of thetank 10 along one side -thereof and such header supplies air to aplurality of transverse pipes 47 extending across the bottom'of thetank. Each of the pipes 47 has a series of air discharge pipes 48extending upwardly into the tank 10 so that air from the transversepipes 47 is discharged into the tank 10. The pipes are preferably spacedat intervals approximating twice that between the rakes in order toprovide adequate localized circulation of water in the compartments.

In the operation of the device, an operator working at the charging endof the tank loads poultry or other product to the full depth of the tankbetween a pair of spaced rakes. As the freshly loaded compartmentadvances and lanother is formed, it is similarly loaded. The result isthat the compact and restrained position of the fowl across the entirecross section of the tank and to its full depth of liquid provides adamming action which greatly restricts the ow of Water from end to end.However, some openings are present between the individual products andthese permit gradual ow of water to the discharge end. The localcirculation of water around the product is Vincreased by the headerswhich constantly eject air under pressure into the tank at closelyspaced intervals.`

The poultry entering the tank, in a representative installation, isplacedin water having a temperature of approximately 65 near the waterdischarge end, which is suiciently cool to commence its rapid chilling.As the poultry is gradually swept along the Hume it is brought intocontact with progressively cooler water moving in counter-dowrelationship and thereby further chilled, as Well as washed. By the timeit reaches the other end of the tank, which may require about ll/zhours, the poultry has been chilled to approximately 36, or near thetemperature of the Water at the inlet which is in the neighborhood of 32or 33. To accomplish a final washing and cooling action the poultrymoving up the discharge ramp is subjected to therain of waterdischarging from the overhead pipes 42' at the poultry discharge end. lAs a result of the counter-flow relationship between the product beingchilled and the chilled wateror other refrigerating iluid a widetemperature interchange is produced, and because all of the chilledtluid Ventering the ume is discharged through the overl-'low Vand notrecirculated any and all trash such as pin feathers, loose pieces ofesh, coagulated blood, and the like entering with the incoming productis detached and floated away from the product and is discharged throughthe overflow, thus continually cleansing the product and trough in whichit is conveyed.

Although the invention is not restricted to the size and, proportions ofthe equipment, 'an"ex'a'mp`le of the' same is a fiume approximately 54"wide, 30" deep, 54' long and fully capable of chilling 3000 birds of 2V.pounds average weight per hour of continuous operation fromapproximately F. to 37 F. when supplied with 33 gallons per minute of 33F. water, and with a chilling time of 11/2 hours, the discharge waterhaving a temperature of 55 F. to 65 F. The rakes are spaced at one footintervals and hold approximately 101 birds weighing 2/z pounds each. I v

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isillustrated in the drawing and described in thespeciiication, but onlyas indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A product chiller comprising a relatively long Vnarrow flume for thepassage of water at a desired level therewithin and having an inclinedramp at one end from which a product within the flume may be discharged,an endless conveyor mounted with its lower run adjacent to the top ofthe ume and above the water level and an upper run above the lower run,said conveyor having a plurality of spaced rakes mounted transversely ofthe ilume and of a size and configuration corresponding substantially tothe cross section of the flume in order that the rakes carried on thelower run may extend into the water in the flume and thereby form aseries of compartments therewithin for the reception and movement of theproduct to be chilled, the inclined discharge ramp being at such anangle that the end rakes moving from the lower to the upper run sweepthe poultry up the incline for its discharge, means for introducingwater into the product discharge end of the fiume, said means comprisingpipe means mounted transversely of the flume above the inclineddischarge end and having a plurality of discharge openings, and meansfor producing localized agitation of water within the VHume, said meanscomprising a plurality of spaced transverse headers for the passage ofuid and having a plurality of passages providing communication with thelower portion of the flume.

2. A product chiller comprising a relatively long narrow ume for thepassage of water at a desired level therewithin and, an endless conveyormounted with its lower run adjacent to the top of the flume and abovethe water level and an upper run above the lower run, said conveyorhaving a plurality of spaced rakes mounted transversely of the fiume andof a sizev and configuration corresponding substantially to the crosssection of the ume in order that the rakes carried on the lower run 'mayextend into thewater in the ume and thereby forrn la series ofcompartments therewithin for the reception `and movement of the productto bechilled, means for introducing water into the product discharge endof the Hume, said means comprising pipe means mounted transversely ofthe flume above the inclined discharge end 'and having a plurality ofdischarge openings, and means for producing localized agitation of waterwithin the flume, said means comprising a plurality of spaced transverseheaders for the passage of Fluid and having a plurality of passagesproviding communication with the lower portion ofthe flume.

3. A product chiller comprising a relatively long narrow flume for'thepassage of water at a desired level therewithin and, an endless conveyormounted with its -lower run adjacent to the top of the flume and abovethe water level and an upper runl above the lower'run, said conveyorhaving a plurality of spaced rakes mounted transversely of the flume andof a size and configuration corresponding substantially to the crosssection of the .ume in order thatvthe rakes carried on the lower run mayextend into the water in the Hume and thereby form a series ofcompartments therewithin for the reception and movement ot theproductuto be chilled. means for introducing water into the productdischarge end of the Hume, and means `for producing localized agitationof water within the flume, said means comprising a plurality of spacedtransverse headersfor the passage of fluid and having a plurality ofpassages providing communication with the lower portion of the flume.

4. A product chiller comprising a relatively long narrow flume for thepassage of water at a desired level therewithin and, an endless conveyormounted with its lower run adjacent to the top of the liume and abovethe water level and an upper run above the lower run, said conveyorhaving a plurality of spaced rakes mounted transversely of the flume andof a size and configuration corresponding substantially to the crosssection of the flume in order that the rakes carried on the lower runmay extend into the water in the ume and thereby form a series ofcompartments therewithin for the reception and movement of the productto be chilled, means for introducing water into the product dischargeend of the ume, and means for producing localized agitation of waterwithin the flume, said means comprising passages providing communicationwith the lower portion of the ume.

5. A product chiller comprising a tank having an in` let for material tobe chilled and a discharge for such material after it has been chilled,said tank having an incline at its discharge end along which the chilledproduct is adapted to be moved in its discharge from the tank, an inletfor a refrigerating fluid adjacent said discharge end, an overow outletfor said refrigerating ud adjacent the inlet for material whereby saidrefrigerating uid and the material to be chilled move in oppositedirections, means whereby material to be chilled may be concentratedthroughout substantially the width and depth of said tank to provide adamming and retarding action on the movement of the chilling medium,means for moving said material to be chilled through the tank, saidmeans comprising a sweeping mechanism movable into said tank, and aplurality of air pipes for introducing air into said tank and causingagitation of said refrigerating uid.

6. A product chiller comprising a tank having an inlet for material tobe chilled and a discharge for the material after it has been chilled,said tank being inclined at its discharge end, an inlet for a potablerefrigerating iluid adjacent to said discharge end, an overflow outletfor said refrigerating fluid at the opposite ends of said tank adjacentto said inlet for material whereby said refrigerating fluid and saidmaterial to be chilled move counter to each other, a reinforcing memberforming a track disposed along each side of said tank parallel to thebottom of said tank and said incline, a roller conveyor chain supportedby each of said tracks, a series of spaced cross members connecting saidconveyor chains, each of said cross members having a plurality ofparallel tines adapted to extend into said tank and terminate adjacentto the bottom thereof whereby movement of the conveyor chains will causethe product to be moved through said tank and up said incline todischarge said product from the tank, means for moving said conveyorchains, and a plurality of air inlet pipes for introducing air into saidtank for agitating said refrigerating uid.

7. A product chiller comprising a tank having an inlet for material tobe chilled and a discharge for such mate rial after it has been chilled,an inlet for refrigerating tluid adjacent such discharge, an overowoutlet for refrig- 6 erating uid adjacent the inlet for materialv intowhich overow outlet substance foreign to the material to be chilled mayoat away and be discharged as the material is introduced into the tankin which the chilling medium and the material to be chilled move inopposite directions, means whereby material to be chilled may beconcentrated to extend throughout substantially the width and breadth ofthe tank and provide a damming and retarding action on the movement ofthe chilling medium, means for moving said material to be chilled slowlythrough said tank, means for supplying said refrigerating uid in theform of potable water sufficient to permit a small overflow from saidtank and thus conserve water, and means whereby fluid is introducedbetween the supply and discharge of the chilling medium and transverselyof the path of ow of the chilling medium for causing localized agitationof said refrigerating nid.

8. A product chiller as set forth in claim 7 and means for producinglocalized agitation of the chilling medium at spaced locations along thetank and across the direction of movement of the chilling medium and thematter to be chilled for accelerating heat transfer therebetween.

9. The method of chilling a product comprising supplying a chillingmedium at a temperature near that to which the product is desired to bechilled into a space having length, depth, and width and dischargingsaid chilling medium at a remote location from that of the supplying ofthe chilling medium, introducing the product into the chilling mediumdischarge portion' of the space over the depth and width of the space ina concentration sufficient to provide a damming and retarding action onthe ow of the chilling medium between the inlet and outlet of thechilling medium, supplying the chilling medium at a slow rate whilemoving the product in counter-How relation along the space also at aslow rate, adding additional product in a like concentration for thefull Width and depth of the space, moving the same at a correspondinglyslow speed along the space, directing agitating iluid between the supplyand discharge of the cooling medium across the space and substantiallyat right angles to the direction of movement of the product and to thedirection of ow of the chilling medium to produce agitation of thechilling medium and to accelerate heat transfer between the chillingmedium and the product to be moved along said spacein counter-flowrelation, whereby the equalization of temperature between the chillingmedium as it enters and as it is discharged will be prevented.

10. The method of claim 9 in which localized agitationk of the chillingmedium is provided across the direction of movement of the chillingmedium and the product at spaced locations along the path of movementfor increasing heat transfer between the chilling medium and the productto be chilled.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,458,991 Pique June 19, 1923 1,907,649 Marx May 9, 1933 2,102,506 BlandDec. 14, 1937 2,824,723 Turney et al Feb. 25, 1958 2,825,927 Lapeyre etal. Mar. ll, 1958 2,854,827 Lockerbie et al. Oct. 7, 1958 2,920,462Roser et al. Jan. 12, 1960 2,942,429 Van Dolah et al. Jan. 12, 1960

